


The Mage and the Magekiller

by SillyFanboy



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Aka the team finds another ally on the way, But the main ones are the reader and Robin, F/M, First published work here, Happy ending tho that I assure you, Is this what you call a slow burn?, Kissing, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Most of the cast appears tbh, Some implied aditional pairings, Spoilers, Spoilers for Awakening btw, Tags may be added when this ends, and Robin eventually loves her, three parter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 03:59:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13022787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SillyFanboy/pseuds/SillyFanboy
Summary: She joins them as another asset to the team, an asset Robin didn't know he needed until he had it – and he wasn't about to let go of it.





	1. Paralogue: The Hostages

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hiya wawuzza  
> This is my first work here so I'm kinda lost with how to publish correctly, but whatever  
> Also, forgive my way of writing – English is not my first language so it's sort of hard to get the point across without it sounding unnatural or rushed

Robin marched silently next to Frederick’s horse, a few meters behind Chrom and a few meters in front of Lissa and the rest of the Shepherds following them. The newest recruit – a young boy named Donnel with an aptitude for learning that honestly amused, if not scared, the tactician - was marching near them.

They were heading back to Ylisstol after rescuing Maribelle and Ricken at the Border Pass, when Sumia called from behind Robin for a halt in the marching.

 

—Is something wrong? — _asked the Prince, approaching her along with his sister. Frederick assumed an alert stance, just in case._

—Sumia? — _inquired Robin at her lack of response._

 

She didn't answer immediately. Her pegasus looked as concentrated as her, and they were both looking at various places in the clear sky.

 

—Something is coming. — _she stated after some seconds of silence._ — And it's coming quickly.

 

Everyone assumed a defensive stance and positioned themselves in an alert formation Robin had came up with during the fight at Arena Ferox.

Then, they waited.

 

—Up, over there! — _pointed Lissa before long._ — But it's only one…

 

And one it was. A pegasus and it's rider came flying across the sky at an alarming speed, not slowing down even when they descended and landed about ten meters away from the group.

The pegasus galloped around after the landing, exhausted and scared. The rider, on the other hand, was catapulted forward with the emergency landing and crashed onto the grass, rolling over the shoulder a bit clumsily and standing up like the matter at hand was way more important than some bruises.

 

—Halt! Who goes there?! — _Frederick questioned, lance pointing towards the stranger and horse ready to charge._

—Frederick, calm down. — _Chrom demanded, having taken a proper glance at the person._

 

The stranger was a young lady of (h/c) hair in a braid at her back, determined (e/c) stare and face partially covered in ash and blood. She held her hands in a surrendering pose, clearly doubting whether to advance or not because of Frederick. No weapon was to be seen on her, and her simple clothes were dirty with mud, blood and ashes. Covering her shoulders, chest and stomach was a half-burned, worn out robe of a plain brown color.

The pegasus didn't have a mounting gear, and that confused Robin a little.

 

—Please, state your intentions, then. — _Frederick cleared his throat, turning his attention from his lord and back to the girl._

—I, ugh- — _she coughed a bit and build up courage to speak to a group of armed strangers_. — I- I mean, the village- no, the bandits are- — _she coughed again_.

—Lissa. — _Chrom commanded, his sister nodding and taking out her staff to heal her. He looked back at the stranger_. — Try to calm down, we can't help if we don't know what's going on.

 

She nodded and coughed dry, trying to speak a few times without managing to do it. Once Lissa finished healing her in a couple of seconds, she tried again after roughly clearing her throat of what Robin was starting to suspect might be smoke and ashes.

 

—My- the village I live in was attacked by bandits two days ago. — _she explained quickly._ — They took over and forbid us from going anywhere. About three hours ago, a bunch of weird, purple-ish creatures came out of the forest and started attacking the village.

—The Risen… — _Lissa murmured, worried._

—I don't know what you call them, but they've been fighting with the bandits and destroying the village since they appeared. And those bastards refuse to let my people escape! The bandits are holding the villagers as hostages and using them as bait to lure off the creatures! — _she took a deep breath, trying really hard to hold back the tears_. — I only escaped because my mother shoved me and my little brothers into the stable!

—But, where are your brothers? — _Sumia inquired, worried and scared._

—They're… th-they were… — _the girl looked to her feet, stuttering, fighting back the tears with all her might._

—Enough. — _Robin interrupted, having taking enough clues from the context to know her brothers were more than probably dead_. — Chrom.

—My lord, we must get to Ylis-

—Show us to your village. — _he commanded, ignoring Frederick and looking to the girl with determination in his gaze._

 

She nodded and ran to her pegasus, the group following her suit. She didn't climb on its back, but instead placed a hand on its side and the animal ran next to her, apparently too tired to fly.

They quickly made their way to a not so small village near the woods, about ten minutes away from the main road. There were clouds of smoke rising above the houses that could be spotted from far away, and even from the outskirts they could clearly hear the screams and the clashing of metal against metal.

 

They hid behind the nearest house and formed a small circle for Robin to explain the strategy he had been coming up with on the way there. He peeked from the corner of the building and took a quick look at the main street: there was debris everywhere, some burning and some not, and a couple of corpses lying on the ground. There were a bunch of bandits outnumbered by a lot of Risen, but it seemed the fight was not exclusive to the main street as screams could be heard from the houses and alleys.

He went back to the group and found Maribelle and Sumia tending to the girl's pegasus.

 

—What's the plan, Robin? — _Chrom asked, successfully catching everyone's attention._

—We’ll go in groups of four. Two groups will take care of the main street, one group will check on all the alleys north to the fountain and the other group will take care of the south. — _he explained, clear and concise._ — Chrom, Lissa, Sumia and Stahl, along with Kellam, Ricken, Virion and Vaike will hold the main street. — _he eyed them, and continued after they nodded._ — Donnel, Maribelle, Miriel and Frederick will go north, make sure to lead as many surviving villagers as possible to safety.

—Are ya sure I can go with 'em? — _Donnel asked with concern._

—You must learn to fight in all types of terrains and situations, Donny. — _he looked at him with a little reassuring smile_. — Frederick and Maribelle will be there to protect and heal you if anything happens.

—Stay next to me. — _Frederick told Donnel, and he nodded with a bit of nervousness_.

—Sully and Lon’qu, you'll come with me south from the fountain. — _he declared, and the other two agreed._

 

The first two groups charged into the main street, startling the bandits and the Risen. Once they were distracted, the third group advanced north.

Robin turned to look at the girl.

 

—What's your name?

—Huh? Oh- (y/n). — _she flinched, a bit surprised by the sudden question. It was clear she was nervous about something, but it didn't seem to be the violence or the fighting_.

—Stay near me, I'll make sure nothing happens to you. — _he stated, serious_. — We'll leave you to hide, but chances are the Risen will find you anyways.

—Alright… — _she took a deep breath._

 

They followed after the third group, but turned left from the fountain and made their way to the southern half of the village. Lon’qu advanced at the front cutting down the few bandits who noticed them, Robin helping behind him by zapping the ones who managed to survive the myrmidon and Sully closing the formation, fending off anyone or anything who dared approach them. (Y/n) tried her best to stay next to the tactician and not bother anyone.

 

They went into several houses only to find them pillaged and empty. The girl seemed to recognize some of them, and insisted on continuing out of the fear of finding a familiar corpse between the debris and destruction. The search continued with no results before they moved onto the second street, where they immediately found a bunch of Risen surrounding a strong table and cupboard leaned on a corner.

They could hear the terrorized crying of someone.

 

—There's-!

—Someone's down there! — _Robin commanded, not noticing he interrupted (y/n)._

—Alright, move! — _Lon’qu demanded, successfully attracting the Risen’s attention._

 

Once the creatures got distracted, the two men established combat with them while Sully blocked the doorway. (Y/n) took the opportunity to run to the furniture fortification and help the lady and the little girl that were hiding there.

 

They mounted the girl behind Sully and the lady hid behind (y/n), who had taken a worn out iron lance from one of the Risen’s dissolving bodies and held it tight for protection. As they advanced through the streets, she began to use it to defend the lady like Robin defended her.

They reached the fourth street and ran past a few empty houses before a woman desperately ran out of a house and fell to the ground in front of them, followed closely by a brigand with an axe ready to strike her down.

 

—MOM! — _(y/n) screamed, making the brigand turn to them._

 

She quickly stepped past a surprised Lon’qu and stood in front of the brigand, shielding the woman. The man swung his axe to behead her, but she ducked in time to dodge it and launched herself forward, stabbing him with the lance and pushing him to the ground. On top on him, she yanked the lance out of his stomach and stabbed him on the chest to kill him for sure.

The woman incorporated shortly before five more brigands came out of the house and three others approached them from the main street. The lady took the little girl from the horse at Sully’s orders and held her close to protect her. The woman made her way into the defensive circle with some effort, having sprained an ankle when she fell.

 

The brigands attacked all at once, and everyone was having trouble fending them off. Some more came from another house and joined their companions in the fight. There were so many of them, only four people couldn't handle it. Lon’qu was being thrown more axes than he could retaliate in time, Sully was at a clear disadvantage, Robin couldn't zap as fast as he needed and (y/n) just wasn't in the conditions to even be there.

 

They miraculously held up for some time, and managed to take down six of them. Two of the remainders broke into the defensive formation and each went after a different target. One went after the lady and the girl, who ran behind Sully’s horse, making her notice the brigand and finish him while he was focused on the lady. This, however, made her forget about the other man in front of her and was quickly injured by a hand axe. 

The other brigand went after the woman. She tried to run, but her sprained ankle made her trip backwards and attract Robin and (y/n)’s attention. In a split second, the tactician saw one brigand lowering his axe over the woman, and another one swinging his’ towards (y/n)’s nape. He also saw, however, the look on the woman's eyes that wasn't imploring for him to save _her_ , but for him to save her daughter's life.

 

—Thunder!

 

(Y/n) heard an electric blast behind her the moment the brigand’s axe went through her mother's chest. Her lance reached the man's skull a second too late, and by the instant she had impaled his head her mother was coughing up blood on the ground.

She fell to her knees next to her and held her hand so strongly her knuckles became white. The woman raised her other hand to her daughter's cheek and tried to talk, but life left her before anything could be mustered.

 

Sully managed to struck down her foe and injure another one, throwing him over to the myrmidon who slashed him in two. With another swing of his blade, Lon’qu took care of the man behind him and Robin electrocuted the remaining two.

They stood in silence, trying to catch their breaths. The cavalier held her injured side, Lon’qu cleaned his sword from the blood in one quick swing and Robin looked at the back of (y/n). He felt sort of guilty, having had the opportunity to save her mother, so he crouched down next to her to try and apologise. Maybe having sent Maribelle to the other side hadn't been a good idea.

 

—I’m-

—Thank you for saving me. — _she breathed out, unknowingly interrupting Robin._

 

He looked at her with a bit of surprise, not having expected her to say that. Upon seeing her face, he realized she hadn't shed a single tear.

He was sort of confused.

Robin opened his mouth to say something, but was unable to due to the group in charge of the north appearing from the main street. Maribelle and Donnel rushed to the injured Sully and Frederick approached the tactician.

 

—We led all the surviving villagers to safety. — _he reported, stopping his horse to dismount it_.

—I see. — _Robin murmured. At least they had no problems, probably because Maribelle had been there_. — Where's Miriel?

—With the main group, they're tending to the injured. — _the great knight looked back at the main street._

—Alright, let's regroup!

 

At Robin's command, the group made their way to the fountain where the others were resting. Everyone sat near the little wall, checking their equipment and whatnot. Robin went from one side to the other, taking mental notes of the state the weapons were at, how everyone did and how were the injured getting by. He checked on with Chrom and the remaining villagers.

 

—Seems four families are complete, and the rest all lost at least one member. — _the Prince informed him._

—Is that so? — _the tactician sighed, unsatisfied with the result of the battle. He looked at the oldest man among the survivors._ — We're sorry, we-

—Please, don't apologize. — _the man coughed_. — We survived because you decided to help us, and for that we are grateful.

—Do you have any ideas where the brigands came from? — _Chrom asked._

 

Robin turned his attention away from the conversation and towards (y/n), standing a bit far from the group with the damaged lance stuck on the ground next to her and her back turned to them. The pegasus returned from its hiding spot in the woods and nuzzled her neck.

 

—Well, I guess we should also thank (y/n). — _the man commented, returning Robin's attention to the conversation_. — If she hadn't found you, you'd have probably never passed by this village.

—More than probably. — _Frederick nodded._

—Did you send her to get help? — _Robin inquired, curious_.

—No, actually. — _the man looked at him, and then at the back of the girl._ — It's not that she can't fight, but her mother is- was a stubborn one, so she hid her and her brothers. She would've stayed there if some of those bastards hadn't entered the stable. — _he sighed._ — We heard screams and fighting and the three pegasi in there neigh in fear, but by the time we managed to get there we barely saw the pegasi storm off the stable and fly off to somewhere, with one of them carrying (y/n).

—So she escaped to find help… — _Chrom pondered over it._

—Sounds reasonable. — _the tactician commented._

 

He turned back to look at her and her pegasus. He hadn't been able to pinpoint it up to that moment, this sensation she gave off that intrigued him so much just because it wasn't accord to what he thought someone under her circumstances would behave like. She didn't look as sad as he thought she would, nor as pained or afraid.

She looked frightened, and she looked as if… as if she felt guilty about something.


	2. The Connector

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always thought of the Dark Flier class as something that wouldn't be the "canon" promotion for any ally unit, thus making it a foreign thing.
> 
> Also I kind of found out how does this site work so yeah  
> Enjoy

Robin was intrigued. Ten minutes after they'd left the village, (y/n) – changed into cleaner clothes and armed with an old iron lance – caught up to them in her pegasus and insisted on joining them, stating she was determined to prevent anything like her village's incident from happening again.  
That, of course, was more than enough to convince Chrom, so (y/n) joined their ranks as a pegasus knight.

Seeing as they already had Sumia with them, Robin opted to have (y/n) as what he liked to call the “connector” when they had to fend off the assassins at the castle. Her job during that battle was to fly across the battlefield and fill in any weak points, as well as inform Robin from time to time about the state of the battle in areas he obviously couldn't reach as fast. While he originally did this to test and observe her so he could later decide on her weaknesses and strengths and where to include her in the formation or who to pair her up with, he later came to the conclusion that the role of the connector was not only perfect for her, but also quite helpful and he was left wondering why hadn't he implemented it sooner.

This became even more apparent at the desert battle against the Grimleal. When Cordelia joined them, he seriously considered making her the new connector seeing as she excelled at everything, but later realized that made her the perfect training partner for Donnel and also allowed him to reach farther, so (y/n) remained in the position. He had her and Miriel (they seemed to oddly get along) accompany him to Nowi and Gregor’s rescue so the five of them could form a defensive position for the others to arrive at. She was getting the hang of other types of lances aside from the iron one, and she basically became the team's magekiller the moment Robin bought her a javelin.

The battle at the Midmire was a hard and sad one. He found it difficult to concentrate with the rain and with the army's morale through the floor. He was way too focused in trying to have everyone survive the escape to properly care for himself. He sent Sumia, Lissa, Stahl and Frederick to support Chrom and make sure he didn't do anything stupid out of frustration. He sent Maribelle to care for the group at the middle, along with Ricken and Virion once the flying reinforcements arrived. Tharja stuck to him the entire time, so he had Libra accompany (y/n) to make sure no injured ally was left behind.  
But they found themselves unable to push past Mustafa’s men and reinforcements that just kept coming. The battlefield was way too big, and everyone was so separated he couldn't keep track of everything that was going on. In the middle of the blood and the rain, he found himself with the need to see everything from above, to look out for a moment and examine the whole picture instead of having his mind yelling at him because he had a minor injury on one leg.

—(Y/n)! — _he called, immediately hearing the pegasus’ wings approaching. Tharja also paid attention._  
—Yes? — _she huffed, tired but not about to give up_.  
—I need to scour the battlefield. Libra, — _he looked at the war monk_. — Switch.

Libra looked at Robin, then at Tharja’s death stare and back at Robin, with a look that demanded for an explanation, but complied silently anyways. He dismounted the pegasus and ran off with the dark mage to fend off an archer attacking Maribelle; and the tactician sat behind (y/n) and held onto the mounting gear of the pegasus.

They took of immediately, feeling the rain on their faces soaking them down to their bones. It was freezing up there, and Robin pondered for a second if having her fly around so much would cause her to catch a cold. (Y/n) threw her javelin at a wyvern rider following them, retrieving it by pulling the lace tied to her wrist; and he finished the foe off with a quick thunder spell.

Getting to Chrom wasn't easy, with all the enemies following them, but together they managed. He was fighting alongside Sumia, while Stahl and Frederick made sure nothing happened to Lissa. A quick look at the overall picture led Robin to what he now saw as the obvious reason why they weren't progressing. They were too focused on fighting instead of what they were supposed to be doing: escaping.

After updating everyone on the plan, they proceeded to flee the battlefield with the help of Olivia and the Feroxi. They treated the wounded and took some time to train before the inevitable battle against Gangrel. Robin spent most of his time in his tent, planning a convincing strategy to lead them to victory. (Y/n) remained at his side for most of the time, quite interested in his books about magic, and providing her point of view as the connector when the tactician, Chrom, Virion, Basilio and Frederick had little meetings to discuss the next move.

Gangrel put up a hard fight. Robin found himself proud of the fact that most of them had already someone at their side to fill in their weaknesses and watch their backs. He continued to hop on the pegasus with (y/n) to keep an eye on most of the battlefield at once, and they basically became unstoppable the moment Robin started slashing down all incoming arrows with his sword before they could reach his companion.

The fight ended before they knew it, and so did the war. Everyone rejoiced in relief and happiness, several towns throwing parties and celebrations that lasted for days.

Robin decided to remain in Ylisstol as Chrom’s tactician, even if people kept calling him “The Grandmaster” instead. Most of their brothers and sisters in arms opted for the same, with a few exceptions, and amongst the ones who remained was (y/n). He asked her once why had she chosen to stay, but he only got a sad smile and an “ending a war doesn't take all the problems with it” as a response.  
He continued to see her at the Shepherd's Garrison and at the Castle daily, and also found her in the training room more than once. Since there was usually no need for setting up the army and thinking of strategies for battles, Robin found himself without as many opportunities as before to talk to her.

That changed, however, one evening in which he surprised her in the training grounds practicing magic with Miriel. This left him so confused he had to approach her after the session to inquire about the subject.

—I didn't know you could use magic. — _he commented, surprised_.  
—I couldn't. — _she snorted softly, gaze still on her fingers tracing the cover of the fire tome_. — This is the first time I've managed to get it to work.  
—It was? It looked as if you'd done it several times before. — _he raised a brow_. — But that's strange, why the sudden interest?  
—Actually, it's not sudden either. — _this time she turned to look at him with a kind smile._ — I've always been drawn to it, and meeting Miriel has allowed me to learn so much. — _she looked at the mage leaving the room._ — But I've also been reading your books for some time now, I thought you knew. — _her eyes met his in a slightly confused expression_. — It's not like I've kept it a secret.

Robin couldn't answer that. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed before. Now that he knew, it all seemed too obvious! Her strange kinship with Miriel –and recently Ricken–, the reason why she silently kept him company during all the tactics meetings since she joined them, the way she seemed to comprehend his magic so well she knew exactly how and when to assist him, and also her knack for taking down mages in general.  
He felt as if a big cloudy part of his mind had been cleared.

He did a bit of research on the matter and found out that, in Plegia, they had this class of special female soldiers called Dark Fliers who were basically pegasus riders who could use magic. Since he'd never heard about it before, he was fascinated with the concept as his mind went wild with all the new tactical possibilities this offered. He took it to himself to train (y/n) in the arts of magic until she'd be able to fight with her newfound ability.

Two years after the war with Plegia and with a newborn princess in the Castle, they received word from Regna Ferox to meet Flavia as soon as possible. Everyone was worried something else might have arised, so they organised a little committee to go meet the Khan. Sumia volunteered to go, Frederick tagged along because obviously, and Robin appointed (y/n) and Lon’qu to accompany them just for precaution.

The meeting was hard to digest, but they had no time to lose. They teamed up with the Feroxi army to fend off the Valmese seacomers at their ports. Hearing about their famous cavalry, Robin had ordered Beast Killers for some of the lance users in their group. Frederick had been training Chrom during the two year war pause, and the now King of Ylisstol was able to wield lances.

Their strategy for the port battle had one major urgent point that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible during the fight: they had to get rid of those mounted archers. Frederick and Stahl were the ones in charge of striking them down, while the rest of the forces had to fend off the cavaliers and paladins. The mages and Lon’qu with an Armorslayer were tasked with taking care of the knights, and they were to have medical –and occasional fighting– support from Lissa and her recently acquired Hammer.  
Robin and (y/n) would lead the “magic users plus Lon’qu and Lissa” offensive against the armored forces to break through and allow the rest to get to the cavalry. Once the front line was broken, Stahl and Frederick would lead as discussed with their respective teams to strike down the mounted archers, supported by Maribelle and Libra. And once that was done, the flying squadron would charge in to aid the main force. Sumia would be in charge of the healing, Cordelia and Nowi would take one side and their newest ally, Cherche, would take the other.

The main problem they had the moment the battle started was actually breaking through the knights. That, and the fact that they didn’t expect a mounted force to be before the armored units. They had to split their vanguard into two, and Robin realized he had to send the only one with a Beast Killer in their frontline group to fight the cavalry: (y/n). He had Olivia, Vaike, Gregor and Donnel go with her to take care of that issue while the few Feroxi on that port and rest of them proceeded with the original plan. They didn’t have as many mages, however, and Lissa wasn’t strong enough yet to handle more than one knight on her own, so Chrom had to switch from Beast Killer to Rapier and step in.

When Sully reached Robin in the backlines and told him the main force had taken care of the mounted archers, the tactician signaled Virion to inform the flying forces to charge in. Some minutes after, the mages got tangled into the mess of the cavalry units. Lissa struggled a bit to keep everyone’s health in check, Lon’qu’s Killing Edge was about to break, and Ricken still wasn’t completely used to fighting on horseback. The mages were, of course, not that good at taking physical damage, so soon after they found themselves in a difficult situation where they couldn’t ask for help since the main forces were occupied with the Valmese cavalry. They were only six, and they couldn’t take care of all the cavaliers coming at them.

Robin tried to come up with a plan to get everyone alive out of that chaos when he remembered the vanguard team he had sent to fight off the other group of cavaliers. He got worried, where were they? Why hadn’t they returned yet? He hadn’t sent any healer with them because he thought it wouldn’t be that bad. (Y/n) was in that group, for Naga’s sake! They really needed someone with a Beast Killer at that moment, not to mention Vaike would also be helpful right about now.  
He was starting to worry he had made a bad move by sending them afar when the group heard someone scream above them.

—Yeeehaw! — _it was Donnel, dropping from a dark pegasus with his iron sword, ready to fight the nearest cavalier._  
—Olivia, Gregor; to Lissa! — _a badly hurt (y/n) commanded, blasting an approaching knight with her fire tome_.— Vaike!  
—You got it!

Vaike jumped with his killer axe to struck down the severely injured knight. Olivia and Gregor went over to Lissa and protected her, leaving Lon’qu to move freely without having to guard her. The pegasus and her rider flew over the cavaliers, taking care of a big portion of them with the Beast Killer and allowing the mages to catch their breaths before finishing them off.

Robin hopped on the dark pegasus and they flew off to the front lines, stopping by the middle section for a bit so Maribelle could heal some of (y/n)’s wounds. They reached the bridges to the ship, guarded by armored units, and the tactician jumped down at the right platform, indicating his conector to aid the other side.  
She nodded and left.  
The army pushed through the second armored line and boarded the ship, the main forces moving to fend off the cavalry to one side while the flying troops took care of the others. Chrom, armed with a Beast Killer and with Frederick to his side, didn’t lose a second to strike down the leader of the assault.

They won, but as Basilio pointed out, it came with a prize: the town was in shambles. Not only that, but what they had just faced was but the Valmese vanguard; meaning their main forces were much stronger. And to add salt to the injury, they had to ask Plegia for ships, seeing as they had little to no chances of defeating the incoming cavalry on land.  
So they headed for Carrion Isle, territory within Plegia where the summit was to take place.

When it finished, Frederick, Chrom and Robin walked out of the castle and towards the camp. They looked shaken, but nobody on the army dared ask why. Sumia did ask, however, if they had succeeded in obtaining their help.

—They’re not lending us soldiers. — _Chrom stated._ — But they’re providing 800 warships and 200 transports, as well as funding the entire campaign.  
—What?! — _Lissa exclaimed, shocked_.— That’s quite the transformation since Gangrel…  
—Well, actually…

Chrom proceeded to explain to everyone about Validar’s state as king regnant of Plegia. Those who had been in the army since the assassination attempt at Ylisstol recognized his name and found themselves unable to believe it. Robin warned them to stay alert, as they didn’t know what could happen. They posted sentries around the camp to watch out in case things went wrong.

Later that night, Robin couldn’t sleep. He saw no use in staying inside his tent, so he went for a walk outside the camp, not realizing he woke someone up while walking away.  
(Y/n) was someone who could be woken up easily, so when the tactician walked past her tent in the middle of the night, especially since that day he had told everyone to stay alert, she woke up immediately. Wary, thinking someone might be trying to sneak in, she placed a hand on her tome next to the entrance of the tent and peered outside.  
It was just Robin.

She sighed and set the tome aside, about to go back to sleep. But she remembered his expression when they returned from the summit, and thought that, if she wanted to know what had happened, she might as well ask in that moment. So changed into something else other than pj’s and left her tent silently, walking in the direction she had seen him go.  
Robin stopped his walk and sighed, finally thinking through his idea of a little walk and realizing it made no sense, since the chances he’d fall asleep there instead of in his tent were less than improbable. He heard some steps behind him and turned around, a little bit surprised, calming down immediately after recognizing (y/n).

—Sorry, did I wake you up? — _he sighed again._  
—Anything that might have walked by my tent would have woken me up. — _she smiled softly, shrugging it off. She turned her gaze to his eyes and slowly put down her smile._ —But why are you here?  
—… — _the tactician looked at her for a moment, as if pondering whether to tell her or not_.— I can’t seem to fall asleep.  
—Are you worried about… what happened at the summit? — _she inquired, not really sure if it had been a good idea to ask so directly. At the look of slight surprise on his face, she tried to play it off._ — Er- You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to-  
—No, it’s fine. I am… confused, more than worried. — _he looked to the grass in front of him._  
—If it’s about Validar, know that all of us who were present at the assassination attempt are worried as well. — _she tried to reassure him_.— I mean- I’m certain we killed him.  
—Well, that’s part of my worries, yes. — _he raised his head to look at the night sky_.— But the thing is… there was someone else at the summit.  
—Someone else?  
—Someone who looked exactly like me, but- — _Robin paused, eyes widening slightly and turning around to look at their surroundings_. — Did you hear that?  
—What? — _she immediately went into alert mode_.— Hear what?

He looked into the nothingness, concentrated, and she was starting to worry. (Y/n) was about to ask what was happening, when Robin flinched and his hands shot straight to his head, clutching in agony.

—Robin! — _she called, scared, quickly approaching him._  
—Nngh… — _he breathed out, barely opening one eye to look at her with a lot of effort_. — This voice, I… I think it’s in my head- Agh!  
—Hang in there! — _she placed a hand on his back, unsure of what to do. With a sudden thought, she looked to the camp and back at him_. — I’ll bring Lissa!  
—Ghh…. — _he struggled_.— V-Validar?!  
—Nevermind, I’ll bring Chrom! — _she stated, turning around and running towards the camp._

She sprinted her way to the tents and went around several of them, unsure of which one was Chrom’s. Failing to remember its location, she turned to start again and found a confused and alarmed Frederick, fully changed into gear, leaving his tent.  
He asked what was going on, and she told him to wake up Chrom. Once he was awake, she told him about Robin and saw him run in the direction she came from.  
They were about to follow him, but (y/n) stopped the great knight in his tracks.

—What’s the matter? — _he turned to look at her._  
—Didn’t you hear that? — _she asked him, a bit scared of the whole situation._

Silence ruled for a couple of seconds until Frederick was able to hear it too. Steps, silent, sneaky steps closing in on the camp around them. She whistled and her pegasus came flying to her side. They hopped onto its back and took off.  
Surveying the area from above allowed them to see, amidst the darkness, hoards of Risen surrounding the camp.

They hastily flew over to Chrom and Robin, catching them off guard by Frederick jumping from (y/n)’s pegasus, her following shortly after.  
After seeing the tactician all right and more collected than them, (y/n) felt a sudden rush of relief though her body.

—Milord, we are under attack! Risen have encircled the camp! — _Frederick announced, bringing the young lady back to the matter at hand_.

Not to say they didn’t expect it, but they were certainly surprised it had actually happened. They were trapped by the Risen, probably being controlled by Validar, and most of the army was still asleep. Everyone was woken up by Frederick and quickly informed of the situation while Chrom, Robin and (y/n) came up with a rushed strategy to make it to tomorrow.  
The fight at Carrion Isle was confusing, if not scary. They couldn't see the Risen creeping up around them until they were right in front. At least one mage had to be in each group to light the path ever so slightly, and none of the flying units dared to go as far as usual out of the fear of being sniped down from the shadows. A young dark mage named Henry joined them last minute, and Robin placed him and Tharja in the middle to keep an eye on everyone’s back. Sumia flew low, and only if it was to go and heal someone. The only one flying as usual, although a bit cautiously, was (y/n); mainly because Robin needed to see everything from above.  
They fought nonstop for two hours, maybe more. The Risen kept coming from Naga knew where, and they couldn’t see their boss in the middle of the darkness. They had been reduced to a defensive formation in the middle, with the paladins, great knights and generals in the outer circle; the magic users, archers and anyone capable of attacking from afar right behind them; and the injured and healers in the center.

Robin and (y/n) were the only ones out of the defensive formation, flying up high over everyone's heads, trying to locate the enemies before they managed to jumpscare the army. The tactician zapped a couple of them, and she threw some fireballs as well; but nothing much was being done. They were flying a bit lower, testing if that way they could see better, until an arrow came out of the shadows and hit (y/n) right on her shoulder.  
She yelped in pain and the tactician could’ve sworn his heart stopped for a moment, her losing balance on her seat as her pegasus got scared and flew in random directions, trying to avoid having its rider being shot at again. Robin, trying not to panic, held her from behind with caution and made her rest her back on his chest so she wouldn’t fall from the pegasus. He looked for where the arrow had came from, and found a sniper with a longbow standing on the stone bridge. A quick Elthunder was enough to struck him down, and the light revealed the shining armor of a warrior Risen, standing still and unfaced in the middle of the bridge.  
That one had to be the leader.

He reached for the reins, the sound of (y/n) wincing in agony almost hurting him too, and tried to direct the pegasus to land. They somehow made it back to the grass, the tactician hoping off immediately and carefully sliding the rider down from the pegasus and to his arms. Maribelle rushed to their side, most of them having watched from below what had happened. Anna and the troubadour took care of (y/n), and Robin forced himself to not stay with her and attend the more pressing matters at hand.  
He went over to Chrom and guided him towards the Risen leader.

Just when they thought it was over, when the leader was down and the remainings started to vanish into that pestilent purple mist, a Risen assassin teleported between Chrom and Robin on the bridge and charged at the lord.  
Robin had been about to scream to warn him, instinctively taking out his tome, but was interrupted.

—Father, no!


	3. The Tactician

The mysterious lady –who had insisted on being called “Marth” since the day they met her– had jumped in to block the attack from the assassin, and left afterwards with Chrom to talk more privately about the whole “father” thing. Robin wasn't sure of what to make of the situation, but decided he ought to give them the privacy they needed.

 

He hurried back to the camp, the seriousness of the previous sudden attack disappearing and being replaced by worry. He was scared to reach the medical tent and find (y/n) in agony, her pained expression and whines stuck in his mind since the accident. What would he do if his connector were to be incapacitated? If she couldn't use lances due to the shoulder injury? It was very unlikely, but what if she were to die? He knew there were archers and snipers hidden in the shadows during that battle, hence why he ordered all the fliers to stay out of range. If he knew that, why did he make her fly? It had been a risky, risky move. And the worst part was that the consequences weren't going to fall on him, the one to blame; but on (y/n). 

She seemed so strong and reliable he had thought for a second she would never leave his side on the battlefield.

 

He reached the camp almost out of breath and wasted no time on finding the medical tent. Inside, Maribelle, Libra and Lissa were tending to the injured, and the princess walked towards him with a slightly worried face and gave him the report. Several people had minor injuries, Kellam had sprained an ankle and Sully had a cut on her back; but nothing too serious.

 

—And… — _the blonde trailed off._ — (Y/n) is resting on her tent. Sumia is watching over her.

—How is she? — _he asked, failing to sound as professional as he usually did. Lissa seemed to catch that._

—She’s doing better that I expected. — _the princess chuckled gravely._ — The injury isn't on the arm she uses, so she should be able to get back to action in a week or more.

 

Robin thanked her and made his way to (y/n)'s tent. Now he was nervous. Would she forgive him for putting her in such a dangerous situation? He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

 

As Lissa said, Sumia was there. She sat up the moment he entered the tent and gave him a relieved, then confused look.

 

—Where’s the Captain? — _she asked quietly, concerned._

—Speaking with Marth near the lake. — _he simply said. At her look of doubt and worry, he smiled softly_. — You can go call him back, I’ll look after her.

 

Sumia smiled in relief and quickly left the tent. He sighed softly, mentally preparing himself, and walked to where (y/n) laid.

 

She had her bare chest and shoulder covered in bandages, hiding anything intimate, and the bottom part of her clothes were still on. She didn't seem to be in agony, but it was clear her shoulder hurt constantly. 

Her eyes opened to look at the ashamed tactician.

 

—Don’t make that expression, please. — _she softly chuckled with effort_. — I'm not going to die from this.

—That’s just because we were lucky. — _he sat next to her, guilt plastered all over his face_. — I'm not supposed to rely on luck to bring everyone home alive.

—Then luck forgave you this mistake. — _she tried to calm him_. — I'm alive, you see.

—But why did  _ you _ have to pay for  _ my _ mistake?! — _Robin turned to face her, making (y/n) almost flinch with his tone and the guilty look on his eyes._

 

She didn't answer that. Her weak smile faded, unknowingly making him feel even worse. She moved her good shoulder, her hand reaching his and trying to squeeze it only to find she lacked the strength to do so. Robin noticed this and his heart sank, carefully taking her hand between his’.

 

—That arrow would've surely gone through your chest had I dodged it. — _she managed to breathe out_. — How can you learn from a mistake if you're dead? — _a chuckle barely left her_. — It was my shoulder or your life. Guess what's more important.

 

He let his head fall to where he was holding her hand and stayed like that. She moved a bit to reach his cheek, brushing a thumb under his eye as if to wipe away invisible tears.

 

—I’ll be fine. — _she whispered, making him rise his head to meet her eyes_. — Now go, I bet you have more important things to do.

 

With the shocking reveal of Math’s true identity (Chrom’s daughter from the future, Lucina), they set sail to Valm, leaving behind (y/n) and the rest of the injured soldiers. Robin spent most of the first days at sea locked in his cabin, trying to figure out a new battle plan  _ without _ his precious connector. He thought of teaming up with another flying unit, only to find that most of them already had a solid partner at their side that he didn't dare remove. Cherche was the only one without a companion, but her resistance to magic was so lacking due to her wyvern he knew he wouldn't be able to fly over the battlefield as usual since he'd have to watch out not only for archers, but for mages as well.   
  


When they did encounter Valmese troops at the Searoad, Robin ultimately decided to go into battle without a partner. He commanded everyone from the highest possible point in the ship, but that proved to be a disadvantage as all the enemies knew where he was and he was left unable to move and dodge. They managed in the end, thanks to him always being able to improvise if things went south, but the tactician finally realized to which extent was (y/n) crucial in his strategy. She was his unit that allowed him to dominate the entire area at the same time, while also being one of the most versatile and powerful. 

He was missing one  _ vital _ piece in this game of Chess: the Queen.

  
  


The news about a rebellion in Valm brought by Say’ri weren't quite the shock for Robin – in fact, he found them kind of predictable. What he found shocking was discovering himself longing for (y/n)'s company outside of battle. He had already comprehended he needed her in a fight, but he never thought he'd grown so attached to her on a personal level. A stroll around camp, however, was enough to tell him what might be going on. All of the duos he’d made for battles and tactical purposes were either close friends or in a romantic relationship. Tharja seemed to stalk him less now that she had to stand Henry, Olivia was the only woman Lon’qu didn’t seem afraid of and was actually willing to sit next to during meals, and Chrom and Sumia were  _ married. _ Who was, then, his strategic partner during all battles?   
(Y/n).

Did that mean he had fallen for-?

 

He was brought back to reality by Chrom asking about the plans for their current situation. According to Say’ri, they had to get to the top of the Mila Tree in order to seek the aid of the ancient dragon sleeping there.

Problem was, however, that Walhart’s men were currently guarding it like their life depended on it.

 

Fighting on the gigantic roots of the ancient tree was… well, complicated, to say the least. There was nowhere to hide, nothing to take to their advantage; there was only one way that battle had to go and it had to be a brute, head on assault to the Valmese stationed there.

 

—Our best bet are our fliers. — _Robin commanded as they advanced, the enemy spotting them immediately_. — The cavalry will have to rush those bow knights if we want to attack from above.   
—Leave it to us! — _Sully declared._

 

They spent almost an hour trying to make progress, but to no avail. Enemy reinforcements kept coming from behind, the sides and to the front, keeping them stuck in the middle of the roots with no efficient way to move between each (other than flying, that is).

Robin zapped foes left to right, his mind wandering on the million possibilities to take at that moment and the billion different scenarios he could’ve witnessed had (y/n) been there. He wanted to tell everyone to rush the enemy and forget about the reinforcements behind them, but at the same time that was a risk beyond consideration; yet they were losing precious time with each passing second he didn’t give an order.

 

He blasted a row of fighters with Thoron and immediately dropped the tome as it started to buzz with electricity. It had reached its limit, leaving the tactician with a Levin sword on his belt and a worn out steel sword he was forced to unsheathe.

As an arrow stuck to the root he was standing on, he turned around and saw bow knights approaching from behind.   
More reinforcements.

 

Robin ordered the fliers to scatter to the sides of the battlefield as he switched from one sword to the other and decided to stop the bowmen himself. Two got electrocuted almost instantly, and the remaining duo started circling him from afar to try and shoot down the dodgy tactician.

His brilliant mind had started racing to figure out a way out of that situation when four sudden fireballs fell from the sky and incinerated the knights in no time, leaving their burned bodies as the only proof.

Surprised, recognizing immediately the trails of what had been an Arcfire spell, he turned his head around in an attempt to find his saviour. Only when a gust of wind came from above did he start to think that maybe…   
No, it couldn’t be-

 

But it was.

 

Dumbfounded, he looked upwards and saw (y/n) atop her dark pegasus, javelin in one hand and spell tome secured to the compartment on her hip as her free hand held the reins with confidence.   
Her eyes scouted the nearby area to make sure there were no other bowmen around before directing her attention to Robin, descending slowly with her mount.

He could’ve sworn time slowed down for a few seconds.

 

—How…? — _he managed to articulate_.   
—Couldn’t just stay behind and do nothing, now could I? — _she smiled softly, giving him a look of determination._ — Now, shall we go?

 

With hope reassured and worries tossed aside, Robin commanded the rest of the battle with ease. They fought hard and took a couple of calculated risks, but in the end they managed.   
They got to the top of the tree.

 

As Lucina, Lissa, Chrom, Frederick and Say’ri approached the small temple where The Voice rested, the rest of them took some time to check on their equipment and catch their breaths from the ridiculous amount of staircases they had to climb in order to get there.   
When Robin had finished taking mental notes on everyone’s condition, he approached his connector.

 

(Y/n) was tending to her pegasus, javelin stuck in the grass at her side and a calm expression on her face. Maribelle and Miriel had finished talking to her –interrogating her, more than probably– not so long ago, and she finally had time for herself.   
He almost felt like he shouldn’t bother her at that moment, but he was already in front of her and it was too late.

 

—How fares your shoulder? — _the tactician asked softly_.  
—It’s fine. — _she petted the pegasus with a small smile on her lips_. — I won’t be able to hold onto anything with that arm if I fall, though. — _a chuckle escaped her_.  
—Is that so… — _Robin breathed out, relieved._ — I’m glad to have you back with us, (y/n).

 

She finally looked at him and gifted him with a serene smile, washing away any doubts he’d had before and making his heart skip a beat.   
At that sudden sensation, Robin lifted a hand to his chest and lowered his gaze.   
Was he really…?

 

As Basilio and Flavia approached the temple, the tactician guessed he ought to go and see what was going on.

 

After meeting Tiki and with the new information acquired, the army set march towards Fort Steiger. 

 

Many things had to be rushed in order to get to Walhart. It was hard, it was sad, but they had no time to spare. Pheros fell without much of a fight, and Yen’fay was an entire story on its own.   
Even when they did reach Valm Castle and fought their way to the entrance, they had to follow Walhart inside and face Cervantes and Excellus again.   
However, they did it. 

 

Before anyone knew, Walhart was down. There was silence for a couple of seconds in the castle before someone started cheering. They never knew who was it, but they all followed suit.

The enemy soldiers agreed to cease hostilities, they added almost all the remaining Gemstones to the Fire Emblem, and it almost felt like everything had finished.   
As if they had peace again.

 

They returned to Ylisstol and, while some of them were busy trying to locate the remaining Gleamstone or investigating about the Awakening ritual, most of them had plenty of time to relax and spend it with their friends and families.

 

—Chrom said you should go to sleep. — _(y/n) told Robin, returning to his study with a pitcher of water. She closed the door behind her and set the container on the little table by the window, helping herself a glass of water._   
—I told you he’d find you. — _the tactician simply said, a small smile appearing on his expression while looking through old books and manuscripts on his candlelit desk._

 

He was concentrated, researching about the ritual Chrom also dedicated his time to, although not at such ungodly hours of the night. It’d been two days only, yet they’d barely found anything useful. (Y/n), meanwhile, was there just so she could take a look at his books about magic and other stuff. 

Robin would sometimes ask her to go refill the pitcher of water, since she was there doing nothing while he worked, though that was more often than not an excuse to have time to breath and calm down his nerves from having her around in such peaceful, almost domestic moments.   
He was very aware of the rumours involving them going on around the castle’s maids, what with all the time they spent alone together in his study, and he wasn’t really sure how to feel about them. 

 

Some more minutes passed before Robin closed the books and organized the desk a bit, standing up. He turned to look at his companion sitting on the small couch, dozing off with a big tome open on her lap, a peaceful expression on her face.   
The tactician picked up the candle and stepped closer.

 

—You can just go to your chambers if you’re sleepy, you know. — _he spoke softly, bringing her back to reality. He wished he could look at the state she was in for a little longer, but he wasn’t sure if his heart could handle it anymore._  
—But I want to stay here for as long as I can. — _she stated lazily, rubbing one eye and closing the book, clearly not realizing what her words had done to the tactician’s heart._  
—And why is that? — _Robin smiled his most confident smile, curious. He knew he was more calmed and collected at night, but even he was amazed by his own tone._  
—There’s so many books, yet so little time to read them! — _she exclaimed quietly, stretching on her seat before standing up._ — Plus, it’s nice to have company.

 

At the sight of her candlelit smile, Robin’s own smile softened as he held her gaze for a couple of silent seconds.

 

—You should go to bed.

  
  


When Chrom said he’d found information regarding the Awakening ritual, and Frederick had returned with information on the last Gemstone, Robin knew things were about to start happening again.

 

They knew what they were getting into at Plegia Castle. Heck, Robin even saw the soldiers hiding in the shadows as they were escorted in. He even had the escape route planned. Even when they were eventually ambushed, they won the battle.   
Nobody was expecting, however, for Robin to be the one to snatch the Fire Emblem from Chrom’s hands and hand it over to Validar.   
Not even Robin himself.

 

Everyone was confused as they fled the castle. They were quiet as they set camp, and concerned for the future as the sun started to set.   
Lucina even confronted Robin, and Chrom had to step in. He told his tactician to try and relax, maybe go to his tent and read something.

 

And he did that, but he couldn’t calm down. 

He didn’t come out for dinner, so (y/n) eventually appeared by his tent with what was left of the food.    
She didn’t say a word.

 

From his seat by his desk, his face buried into the books, he heard her leave the plate aside and walk up to him in silence. A couple of minutes passed before she gathered enough courage to say something.

 

—Nothing will be solved if you die, Robin.

 

He stayed silent, surprised by her words.   
Slowly, he raised his head from the books to look at her with a tired expression.

 

—Were you also eavesdropping? — _he asked, confused._   
—What- No. — _she shook her head, confused as well_. — Chrom and Lucina were discussing it over dinner on the table next to me.

 

He sighed softly and looked back at the books, not really sure what to say to her.   
(Y/n) went silent out of nervousness, and waited for her courage to return.

 

—I- Um… — _she blurted out, trying to organize her thoughts._ — I-I think that, no matter what happens, we will always want you around. — _she paused_. — Chrom wants you around as a friend and advisor, Ylisse wants you around as our tactician, a-and I…

 

Robin stared at her, dumbfounded, almost forgetting to breathe from the impression. He wanted to tell her to stop, that there was no need for pity in moments like that.   
That she shouldn’t concern herself with his troubles; yet at the same time…

 

—(Y/n)... — _he muttered._  
—I want you to… t-that is to say, I… — _she continued, fidgeting with her fingers and looking at the floor_. — I want to be around you for as long as I can…  
—Are you sure? — _Robin spoke up, softly, finally managing to get her to look at him. At the sight of her flustered expression, he had to rebuild his wall of semi-false confidence_. — You saw what I did today, what Validar can force me to do.  
—Yes, and I also saw you snap out of it! — _she stated, calming herself down._ — I agree with Chrom, Robin; you can fight back. I know you can! I’ll… I’ll stay at your side until the day you are free from Validar!

 

He shifted his gaze from her eyes to the floor. If that continued, he doubted his heart could take it.   
Standing up, he mustered the confidence to look into her eyes again.

 

—And after that? — _he eventually asked. Seeing as she was confused, he continued_. — Will you stay at my side, even after I’m freed from Validar’s control?   
—O-Of course I will. — _she muttered, still a bit confused_. — I’m your… what is it that you call it? Connector, right?

 

Robin let out a sad chuckle. Well, he’d gotten this far, might as well get his rejection once and for all and be done with it.   
Even if that could prove to be a tactical handicap.

 

—Once this ends, I don’t want you to be my connector anymore. — _he leaned slightly on his desk._  
—What…?  
—In fact, I wish you’d be something else, but… — _Robin looked to the side, his chest hurting him_. — I’d rather you live your life as you will.  
—But I want to stay in Ylisstol with the Shepherds! — _she insisted, slightly scared thinking that maybe he was just being kind in telling her they didn’t need her anymore._  
—Then… There’s something you must know. — _he held her gaze, staring into her beautiful eyes and imprinting them on his mind, so as to never forget them._  
—What is it? — _she pressed, a bit relieved_.

 

Robin went silent for a couple of seconds. They stared into each other’s eyes for some moments before he breathed in, preparing himself.

 

—I’m in love with you.

 

Now it was (y/n) who went silent. As her mind processed what she’d just heard, feelings began building up inside her and condensing into tears on her eyes.

Robin, confused and feeling slightly guilty, raised his hand towards her face. He doubted for a second before pressing his palm against her cheek, brushing his thumb softly to wipe away her tears.

 

—Do you really love me? — _(y/n) breathed out._ — Are you sure?

—Look me in the eye and tell me if I would joke about this. — _he was serious._ — I didn't plan to tell you, but I guess even I had to fail at planning at some point.

  
  


(Y/n) stayed silent, her lips parted ever so slightly due to the impression.

Robin felt the need to close them with his own more than ever.

 

—Your plan didn't fail, though. — _she said, suddenly._

—…? How so? — _he looked back into her eyes. They'd gotten closer without realizing it, he didn't even have to raise his voice for her to hear him._

—I would never have known had you not told me. — _(y/n) said, voice soft and barely above a whisper._ — And… well. I'm in love with you, too. Had been since the war with Plegia, actually. — _a silent chuckle escaped her._

—… — _Robin was left dumbfounded again. He couldn't believe it; his feelings were actually requited? And moreover, after what everyone had witnessed him do under Validar’s control?_ — Truly…?

 

She just nodded with a warm smile and nuzzled his palm softly. The tactician didn't waste another second and brought her close to his chest in a long wanted embrace that she didn't hesitate to return.

They stayed like that for a solid minute or two, feeling safe and loved in the arms of the other.

 

—(Y/n)?

—Yes?

—May I… kiss you?

 

Feeling a blush making its way to her cheeks, (y/n) nodded softly and was pulled back from the hug just enough to be able to look at the man in front of her. Robin’s hand reached her chin and tilted her head slightly, his thumb brushing over her lower lip before his gaze went back to her eyes.

Hers closed after a second of staring a bit nervous at him, his other arm still keeping her close by her lower back. 

Robin dipped in, closing his eyes, and kissed her.

Her lips were as soft as he'd come to imagine them.

 

With more support behind him than ever before, Robin calmed himself down about the “You’ll kill Chrom” issue and tried to look at everything as objectively as possible.    
He’d get nothing out of worrying, anyways.

 

When the Grimleals started to gather, they as well started making their move. They had to get to the Dragon’s Table and stop Validar as soon as possible. With courage renewed and confidence in their actions, they routed the Deadlords and forced Aversa to flee so they could enter the place of the ritual.

Before they charged in, Robin entrusted (y/n) with his Thoron tome and Levin sword, going into battle only with an Elthunder. The reasoning behind this was that, when Validar managed to get him to attack Chrom and he couldn’t fight back, then he had to make sure his chances of survival were as high as possible.   
He originally tried to convince him to have the tactician stay behind and away from him, but the King was persistent and Robin couldn’t argue against the fact that someone had to command them in battle. 

 

Robin had a master plan behind this all. He’d suspected about Lucina, and about his headaches, and came to the best possible conclusion: they had to trick Validar into believing destiny was going to plan out as he thought it would.   
Meaning it was inevitable that he’d attack Chrom. 

And he did.

 

But Chrom didn’t die, as an Elthunder and Robin holding back on it wasn’t enough to kill the man.

 

And now they were in a rush against time to take down that giant dragon flying in the sky. Robin was beyond shocked when he learned the truth about Grima, but the support everyone gave him was more than enough to bring him back into the brilliant tactician they all knew. He guided them through Mount Prism, and then Origin Peak; battling against the Risen and Aversa’s last stance.

 

Once they were atop Grima, a thought came to Robin’s mind. What if he killed him? Wouldn’t he be killing himself? As far as they knew, Chrom could only seal the dragon for another thousand years or so.   
But what if he could end it? At what cost would that come?

Then he remembered what (y/n) had told him that night.

 

“Nothing will be solved if you die, Robin.”

 

So when he was in front of his other self, standing next to Chrom, Lucina, Frederick and (y/n), he looked at all of them with a calmness so out of place they all became confused.   
He turned to her.

 

—I’m sorry.

 

They all stared at him, slightly worried, as he stepped forward. Grima awaited patiently, hurt, but smart enough to know he shouldn’t be reckless.

 

—What- What do you mean…? — _(y/n) asked, preoccupied._  
—You once said that nothing would be solved if I died. — _he explained calmly, his heart racing as he took out Thoron._  
—Robin, what are you-  
—I believe you were mistaken. — _the tactician interrupted Chrom, turning his back to Grima to look at them and at the army behind. He smiled sadly._ — Forgive me.

 

Chrom and Lucina reacted immediately, rushing forward to stop him, and the dark flier followed suit. Robin was faster, however, as he prepared the attack and spun around, shooting a beam of electricity straight to the unexpecting chest of the vessel.   
It didn’t take long for the attack to hit him too.

 

As he fell onto the scales of the dragon, he felt Chrom catch him with worry and shock plastered all over his face. Lucina and Frederick stood there, frozen, unable to believe it; and (y/n) fell on her knees at his side and in front of the King. The rest of the army didn’t take long to realize what had happened.

The last thing he saw was the teary eyed faces of the two most important people in his short life.

 

When Robin’s body disappeared into thin air, nobody was able to believe it. Nobody wanted to, anyways. Lucina had to console (y/n) as Sumia had to do with Lissa, and Chrom was just too shocked to react.

Was this really it? Was Robin really gone?   
They refused to accept that.

 

Peace returned to the land as everyone dedicated themselves to rebuilding the damaged cities and towns, reestablishing friendly relationships with the other kingdoms and dealing with the ever present bandit problems.   
The Shepherds, however, dedicated all of their free time in their search for the most brilliant tactician Ylisse had ever known.

 

Almost an entire year passed. The dark flier, the King, the Princess and the knight were scouting the same plains the royals recalled meeting him for the first time. (Y/n) flew over the area, looking intently into the ground, her chest hurting from the constant idea that she’d never be able to find him again.   
And just when she was about to fly back to the other three walking on the road, she sighted a dark spot in the middle of the meadow.

 

—There’s something over there! — _she exclaimed, trying not to get her hopes up._

 

Lissa and Chrom ran to the area she had indicated, and the flier descended calmly over to where Frederick stood behind. It’d happened other times before, but it always turned out to be either the corpse of a person or one of an animal.

She sighed, dismounting her pegasus, as Frederick paid attention to the siblings away from them.   
When he saw Chrom lift someone up from the grass, the knight held his breath for an instant.

 

The Princess rushed to (y/n)’s side, teary eyed, and pulled her over to her brother.   
And over to her tactician.

 

When Robin saw her, he stood silent for the second it took (y/n) to convince herself it was real. He smiled, overjoyed, and she threw herself into his arms as tears fell from her face and to the grass below.

  
—Guess I was wrong... — _he chuckled softly, holding her tight, falling on his knees on the ground at the same time as her legs gave in_. — in believing you were mistaken.  
—You... idiot! — _her voice quivered, her hands grasping his robe for dear life._ — I told you I’d stay at your side! How do you expect me to do that if you disappear...?  
—I’m sorry. — _Robin apologized, burying his face on the crook of her neck._ — I promise I won’t go anywhere now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the ones who read this!  
> Sorry if I took some time, but hey; it's finished!

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a three parter/ threeshot (?) so this is only the first chapter  
> But I have no idea how does Ao3 work yet so yeah  
> I'll add the other two later if I find out how.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments if you want to give me advise on how to make my writing more natural  
> Kuddos are appreciated, but I'm sure barely anyone will read this so whatevs


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